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Yep, it was just her, Julie. Waiting for Chase.
Just like the old days.
The doorbell clanged and she smoothed her hands over her shirt before walking--not rushing, but walking--toward the door.
When she opened it, she cleared her throat and said, “Okay, let’s get this over with.”
Then she looked up to find her brother staring back at her. Her heart plunked into her stomach, and for a moment she felt an overwhelming sense of deja vu again, panicked and trying to scramble for excuses of exactly what she was doing and who she'd been expecting. Luke didn't seem to mind, though. Hell, he didn't even seem to notice how clearly flustered she'd become.
He just barreled into the foyer and glanced past the teetering rows of garbage until he found his sister's face again. "Where's Mom?"
"Mahjong Monday."
"Right. Right. And Amy?"
"Out...somewhere. She didn't say."
"Okay." He pursed his lips and Julie frowned.
"You okay?"
"Fine, fine. Just had a couple of questions."
"Ones for Mom and Amy, but not me?" She raised her eyebrows
"No, it's just...look, you don't exactly keep track of family stuff. I'll just come back later."
"What kind of--" she started, but he was already halfway out the door, rushing back to his truck. She stood in the doorframe, watching him go, just as she made out Chase's Dodge coming round the bend.
"Shit." She murmured under her breath, and she glanced toward Luke again. Apparently, he was too distracted to notice, and by the time his car started up the street Chase was pulling into the drive.
They'd missed each other by mere moments.
"Couldn't wait to see me, huh?" Chase called as he got out of his car and pulled a bouquet of wildflowers from the passenger seat.
"Something like that." Julie rolled her eyes. "You just missed Luke."
"That so?" He tried to look nonplussed, but Julie thought she could sense the same faint edge of panic that she felt. Old habits, she supposed.
"Those for me?" She nodded toward the flowers and Chase shrugged.
"You have another date after this or something?" she asked.
"Depends how well this one goes, I guess."
Julie rolled her eyes and took the flowers from him, pausing for a moment to smell the pink and yellow blooms before heading back toward the kitchen to put them in water.
"So, this is our big date night," she said as he followed her down the hall.
"That it is."
"What does a night on the town in Honeybrook look like? We going to your bar?"
"You wish." He laughed.
"Really? That bad?"
"I guess you'll just have to wait to find out."
